Damon hated the guy who was pressuring Isabella into becoming his girlfriend. He walked around the university corridors with a snobbish air, flaunting the latest piece of technology his wealthy parents had bought him, as if that alone made him superior to everyone else. He treated people with disdain, humiliating anyone who crossed his path, always certain he would get whatever he wanted — including Isabella. It was never a secret that Damon liked her. In fact, he had been rehearsing a simple invitation for weeks: taking her to the cinema, talking without any rush, maybe having a beer afterward. But the other guy was quicker — and infinitely more showy. He surprised Isabella with flowers and chocolates in the middle of the lecture hall, in front of everyone, as if performing something carefully staged. Damon could only watch, frozen, as the invitation was made. That could have been his cue to step back. To accept that he was too late and find someone else to occupy his thoughts. But Damon wasn’t built that way. There was something about Isabella that made it impossible for him to give up so easily. After a brief conversation with his best mate, Graham — who, as always, tried to warn him about the dangerous ground he was stepping onto — Damon decided he still had to try. Ethics and Journalistic Practice would be his chance. It was the only class where Isabella usually sat alone, too focused on her notes to get caught up in the noise of the room. And there she was. Isabella was writing attentively, scribbling ideas and interview excerpts into her already worn notebook, completely absorbed. Damon watched her for a few seconds, took a deep breath, adjusted his hair, and walked toward her, forcing a confident smile. “Is this seat taken?” He asked, already pulling the chair beside her as Isabella nodded. A few minutes passed in silence before Damon finally spoke, his voice quieter than he intended. “I’m Damon… we share a few classes. I thought you seemed interesting, so I decided to talk to you.”